Hester and Price give UCLA's secondary a confident swagger

LOS ANGELES - The UCLA freshmen looking for playing time at cornerback have a lot of learning to do before making any real impact.

Fortunately for the Bruins, those freshmen have a couple of solid guys they can look up to in Aaron Hester and Sheldon Price. Hester, a 6-foot-1, 207-pound redshirt senior, started 12 games last season and had 51 tackles. He transformed into a lock-down corner along with Price, who also started 12 games.

Freshmen Marcus Rios and Ishmael Adams have been impressive but continue to adapt to the faster college tempo. Their upside coupled with their raw talent, however, is promising.

"There's a lot to think about," UCLA coach Jim Mora said. "It's a position that takes a lot of confidence."

Hester and Price carry that swagger onto the field, from pushing off with authority to timing the receiver's routes and jumps. Even from the sideline, Rios and Adams get an opportunity to watch an established tandem like Hester and Price and try to emmulate as much as possible.

"Just the fact that those kids can watch them on film and see the things they do well and watch how they practice and their practice habits and their work ethic that's positive," Mora said.

There's depth at cornerback but not experience. With Hester and Price at the helm that means the young talent behind them can grow.

"As long as they stay healthy that's a great thing," said Mora of Hester and Price. "I feel good about those two guys. They're competitive, and it appears to me that they're playing the ball well in the air and playing with a lot of confidence."

That confidence is evident.

Hester isn't shy to do a little smack talk from the time they hit formations until the whistle blows, and he gets a good earful from Jerry Johnson, a rivalry that brewed almost immediately in San Bernardino.

"Anytime two of your best players are competing against each other on a daily basis and taking it as serious as they're taking it I think that's real positive for both of them," Mora said. "As long as it doesn't become contentious it's a good thing. We like to see that at all positions."

Hester and Johnson know when to turn the switch, but it's not as easy for others.

Redshirt freshman Devin Lucien and Adams got into a scuffle after running a route during Monday's practice. Lucien took issue with Adams' coverage and the two wrestled. It spilled to the sideline before a dozen or so teammates finally separated them.

Not long after, Lucien again was matched with Adams, who didn't back down and remained physical. The ball didn't come their way and they finished the drill without incident.

MCCARTHY UPDATE

Mora said defensive end Ellis McCarthy, who underwent offseason knee surgery, is day-to-day and closer to participating in full contact drills. Mora has not set a specific date, but even when McCarthy is cleared he will have some way to go before being on par with the rest of his teammates.

"He's gotta be physically ready, and he's gotta be mentally ready in terms of knowing the schemes and how to fit in," Mora said. "He's gotta adapt to the speed of the game, the size of the game and the tempo. There's a lot of work he has to get done before we can put him in a game."

NOTES

Linebacker Nate Iese left practice early with a dislocated finger and linebacker Ryan Hofmeister did not practice as he continues to nurse a hamstring injury.

... Defensive end Iuta Tepa will transfer, Mora said.

"He didn't feel like his body type was the right type for this defense," Mora said. "So he's anxious to get somewhere where he can fit in."

Mora said he has an idea of where Tepa will transfer but declined to do so until it's official. Tepa, a redshirt junior, played in 13 games off the bench last year and was tied for fourth (4.5) in tackles for a loss.